Grain-heater.



PATENTED APR. 18, 1905.

P. PROVOST.

GRAIN HEATER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 14, 1904.

Inventor.

Witnesses Rttomegs Patented April 18, 1905.

UNITED STATES PATENT @EETQE.

PETER PROV OST, OF MENOHINEE, )HUIHHAN.

GRAIN-HEATER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 787,396, dated April18, 1905.

Application filed November 14:, 1904. Serial No. 232,754.

Be it known that l, PETER Pnovosr, a citizen of the United States.residin at Menomib n u 2 is a perspective view showing the conical nee,in the county of iilenominee and State of Michigan, have invented a newand useful (irain-lleater, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to grain-heaters, and particularly to that classof grain-heaters in which the grain is caused to pass through aplurality of tubes extending through a suitable casing, whichconstitutes a heating-chamber.

lleretofore dil'liculty has been experienced in causing the grain topass through the tubes of a heater of this class at an even rate. Thepassage of grain through tubes disposed directly above or comparativelynear the exit would be more rapid than the passage of grain through moreremotely-disposed tubes. (lonsequently the duration of exposure to theheating intluences of some portions of the grain would be less than thatof other portions, and the heating of the grain would not be performedin a uniform and satisfactory manner.

The object of the present invention is to regulate the passage of grainthrough the heater in order that the bulk of the grain may be evenlyexposed to the heating influences.

\Yith this principal end in view the invention consists in the improvedconstruction and novel arrangement and combination of parts, which willbe hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in theclaims.

In the accompanying drawings the invention has been illustrated asapplied to the improved grain heater and drier for which application forLetters Patent of the United States, erial No. 222,009, was filed bymyself on the 241th day of August, 1904:, the drawing illustrating asimple and preferred form of embodiment of the invention. with theunderstanding, however, that no limitation is necessarily made to theprecise structural details therein exhibited, but that the right isreserved to any changes, alterations, and modilications to whichrecourse may be had within the scope of the invention and withoutdeparting from the spirit or sacrificing the etliciency of the same.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of agrain-heater to which the present improvement has been applied. l ig.

regulator detached. Fig. 3 is a sectional detail view of the conicalregulator. Fig. i is a sectional view illustrating a modilication of thesame.

Corresponding parts in the several ligures are indicated by likecharacters of reference.

A drum or cylinder 1 constitutes the casing of the heater, which isprovided at its upper end with an inlet-hopper and at its lower end witha funnel-shapml discharge-chute 3. The casing has a pair of diaphragnis5, which are connected by a plurality of tubes 6 for the passage ofgrain. The casing has a steaminlet 7 and an outlet 8. and through thediaphragms extends a vertical spring-supported rod 9. provided above thesupporting-spring 10 with a washer 11 and an adjusting-nut 12, thespring 10 being disposed within a tube 13, extending upwardly from theupper diaphragm 4E. The rod 9 carries at its lowerend a conicalregulator 14:. Below the opening 15 at the lower end of the exit-chute 3is a conical valve 16, mounted upon a spring-supported rod 17, connectedwith brackets 18 upon the sides of the casing. The springsupported rod17 has an adjusting-nut 19.

The office of the regulator 1% is to control the passage of grainthrough the tubes 6. In my copending application, to which reference hasbeen made above, the said regulator has been shown as being of a plainconical shape; but experience has proven that under some circumstancesit would be inadequate to prevent the too-rapid passage of grain throughthe centrally-disposed tubes of the heater, and especially through suchintermediate tubes as may be disposed directly above the outer rim ormargin of the conical regulator. To increase the etticiency of saidregulator, l have provided the same with an annular obstruction, which,as shown in the accompanying drawings in Figs. l, 2, and 3, may be inthe nature of a wire 20 of suitable dimensions, soldered or otherwisesecured near the margin of the regulator. ln Fig. t has been illustrateda slight modification which consists in t t :l

forming the annular obstruction by slightly upturning the lower edge ofthe regulator to form a marginal flange 21. In said Fig. 4 I have alsoincidentally shown the body of the regulator as being annularlycorrugated, as indicated at 22, the object being simply to retard thepassage of grain over the regulator.

It will be understood that when the device is in operation the entirecasing, including the discharge-funnel 3, the tubes 6, and the hopper 2,will be kept practically filled with grain, which is supplied to thehopper at approximately the same rate at which it escapes at the bottomof the discharge-funnel, the opening 15 of the latter being regulated byproper adjustment of the conical valve 16. It is obvious that if noobstruction were present in the funnel-shaped portion 3 of the casingthe tendency of the grain would be to pass in the most direct way to theoutletthat is, through the tubes disposed approximately centrally in thecasing. A current being set up through these tubes there would be littleor no flow through the tubes disposed near the periphery of the casing,and the result would be that a portion of the grain would not besufficiently dried, while another portion would be excessively dried. Bythe use of a plain conical regulator, as shown in my pending applicationabove referred to, partial regulation of the flow may be attained; butpractical experience has demonstrated that by providing the regulatorwith an annular obstruction and, if desired, with auxiliary obstructionson the face thereof the passage of grain through the tubes of agrain-heater constructed on the general lines illustrated in thedrawings may be regulated to such an extent that the bulk of the grainpassing through tor supported below said tubes, said regulatorconsisting of a cone having an annular obstruction.

3. Agrain-tube having a plurality of tubes for the passage of grain, anda conical regulator supported below said tubes, said regulator beingprovided upon the face thereof with obstructions to retard the passageof grain.

4. In a grain-heater, a cylindrical casing having an inlet-hopper and anoutlet-funnel,

diaphragms in said casing, grain-tubes connecting said diaphragms, and aconical regulator supported centrally below said graintubes, saidregulator being provided with an annularly-supported obstructing-wire.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

PETER PROVOST.

WVitnesses:

WV. 0. KUHNKE, CHAS. J. FRICKER.

